


something grown together

by novakid



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: Gen, Post-Canon, Ten Years Later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-08-28 01:40:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8425804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/novakid/pseuds/novakid
Summary: The quiet life of someone who has been a thief, a friend, and a son.The quiet life of someone who set out for something much greater than a quiet life.The quiet life of a person who is still growing into his own skin.





	

When Kanto-Johto natives are looking to move or visit out of the region, they usually head for somewhere more lively. Unova is a metropolis. Kalo is the capital of the fashion world. Somewhere where the streets are busy and the life is buzzing. 

Sinnoh is almost as down and rustic as Johto is, if not more. Their cities are small and surrounded by beautiful forests and their towns are as country as it gets. It doesn't quite have the ecological variation like Hoenn, though. Sinnoh is just a lot of rock, and forest, and beach. 

Mt. Coronet splits the region in two, and the mountain range is just as tall as Mt. Silver. It's fair in the warmer seasons, and snow covers the whole mountain range in the winter much like its summit. It's certainly no vacation spot like Alola. 

But it's where Silver finds his new home. 

When he was a child, Silver refused to touch his inheritance. He could have. With Giovanni long gone (and assumed dead as far as legal matters were concerned), Silver could have used the money. But he never did. His journey through Johto was rough and cold. Staying at pokecenters, sleeping on benches, dumpster diving. It was a matter of pride. He had to do everything himself. He had to do more with less. 

Silver grew out of that. 

At seventeen, he took the money out and bought a cottage near the base of Mt. Coronet. When he first moved in, it was musky and old. But the strong wood kept it standing up and warm during the colder months. It was fine with a bit of furnishing. In a few months, his house was one he could comfortably call a home. 

It helped that it sat on a mountain. He and his Pokemon could easily train right outside his doorstep. Even when there weren't any, the crisp air is refreshing to breathe in. Silver lets his Pokemon out often to sit, play, frolick, eat, and relax outside. They deserve it. 

It's nice. It's quiet. There's no one around, and it's peaceful. His cottage is right by Hearthome City though, so when he's itching to be social, it's only a 30 minute walk. 

It's one of the larger towns in Sinnoh, but it's still nothing compared to the cities like Goldenrod, Celadon, or Saffron. Aside from a few small apartment buildings and necessary buildings, there's the gym, the contest hall, and the Amity Square. Those create a lot of traffic during the competitive seasons when trainers and contest entrees and their respective audiences come to visit. But even then, the crowd isn't unbearable. Silver usually stays clear of Heartdome during then. It works out. 

But it is where he goes to shop, too. He goes to the mart, Feraligatr at his side, to pick up food, candles, and other necessities. The locals don't recognize him at first. After awhile, when they do, they know him as the young man who lives on the mountain by their quiet city. He thinks there are rumours that go around calling him a hermit. He doesn't know what it is; his large, rare Pokemon or his resting face that makes him unapproachable. He doesn't mind it. It's funny. The cashier at the mart is nice to him, because he's always nice to her. When checking out, Silver always offers a warm smile and a shaky attempt at small talk. He always says his thank you before leaving. 

Sometimes when he visits, he takes his Pokemon to the park. There use to be a strict rule that only small Pokemon could enter. For the children, Silver figured. But after petition and petition, the city laws changed and now more Pokemon were free to roam the square. It's a nice place where Silver can sit down on a bench and let his Pokemon run around and interact with others. Many children like to approach Silver's Pokemon. At first, they're timid. Not timid enough not to ask about his Pokemon, whether they can pet them. (He doesn't think they've ever seen Pokemon this big up close, aside from the Pokemon contests their parents let them attend to.)

He's soft spoken with them, and kind like he never use to be. He shows them how to pet his Feraligator its favourite way, and gives berries to them to feed to his Crobat and Alakazam. They play tag with his Sneasel and Magneton, and hide and seek with his Gengar. 

Despite the everlasting chill that comes with this snowy region, seeing the display always warmed his heart. 

He was never a religious man. Neither was his father. But he remembers a shiny silver cross around his mother's neck. There were never any religious monuments in Kanto, but when she was alive, his mother took him all the way to the Illex shrine in Johto every New Year's Day. For good luck, she told him. She told him that every year, you had the ability to be a brand new person. Every year was a brand new start. 

So, twice a year, Silver makes a habit of visiting Hearthome's church. On the day of the new year, and on his mother's birthday. To pay his respects, to pray for a good year. 

Despite the little time he spends there, the locals who frequent the church know him by name and welcome him with open warms and a warm meal. 

It's as close to a community he's ever had. Not quite friends, but a group of strangers he can smile around. 

He knows what friendship feel like, though. 

Green Oak visits him often. Green travels a lot, to no one's surprise. The man can't stay in one place. He's too extravagant for anything less. But during the holidays, he tends to visit Sinnoh more than any other region. He always visits for Silver, of course. "I mean, I know this region can give me one hell of a history lesson, but lets face it. I'm only here for you, kiddo." Silver appreciates the sentiment. Especially when it comes with food. 

Green brings him plenty of food. Pasta and lasagna and plenty of Italian dessert. Silver use to chastise Green for assuming that he only ate Italian food, but can't complain ever since he moved to Sinnoh. Hearthome didn't have the rich food that Green brings all the way from Kanto. 

Together, they sit and talk about what's been happening in their lives. They watch movies they know they'll both like. He challenges Silver to a battle, who gladly accepts. It's good fun, and Green leaves without eating anything he brought. 

Red's visits are far less frequent. He doesn't even visit annually, for he's far more of a hermit than Silver could ever be. Red never calls beforehand to let Silver know he's visiting. But it's always in the winter, when snow is covering his spot in the mountains. Every time Red visits, Silver discovers him by opening the door and finding Red sitting in front of his cottage, outside in the snow. 

Red never speaks to him. In fact, he's not sure why Red even visits. When he lets him in, and he only sits around and tidies up. Sometimes he has a small box of cookies shaped like Pikachu heads. 

Red is gone by the end of the day. 

Silver thinks that maybe, Red just wants to check up on him.

Gold drops by the most out of all Silver's friends. Not just on holidays, but throughout the year when he isn't busy with field work or his champion title. More often than not, Gold will bring booze. It's a nice gesture, but Silver never liked the taste of alcohol. So he lets Gold get shitfaced and crash on his couch. When he wakes up, Silver acts annoyed, like having Gold over is an inconvenience. (They both know all too well that he's just faking. If anyone were to know Silver like the back of his hand, it would be Gold.)

"Didja hear, Silv?" Gold says one day he's staying over, which happens to be New Year's eve. "Red and Green are headed to Alola together. Neither of them been down there. Methinks there's somethin' up between them." There's a playful slur in the way Gold speaks, but jealousy is clear in his voice. He's already drunk. "Do you think old man Oak paid for it? Words on the street's sayin' there's a buncha like... Kanto Pokemon there, and like. But they're different, you know?"

Gold's laying down on the couch, sprawled out, bottle in hand. There was just enough space for Silver to sit on the end. Gold's hat is up against Silver's thigh, though. Silver takes the hat despite Gold's drunken protests and plays with the visor. "Green told me about it. He says a relative's over there. It could be related to work if it isn't a vacation."

"As if THEY need a vacation. Green hardly ever even- He's not even in his gym most of the times. And no one ever battles Red. He never does nothin' up there."

Silver rolls his eyes and smooths out Gold's hair. "Maybe you should vacation to Alola if you're up in arms about it."

"Maybe..." He can see it on his companion's face. He's totally jealous that they're there without him. 

Gold passes out before the clock hits midnight. Silver has no problem tucking him in and heading to bed. 

He goes to church the next morning without Gold. Wishes everyone a happy New Year. Pays respects to his mother. 

As he's heading out, Gold is by the doorway. 

"Dude, I thought you bailed."

Silver shrugs. 

They sit down in the back. There are less people this year; it's colder than it usually is. Even so, the sun is bright and shines through the stained glass window. The colours stretch over the stone floor and the wooden benches inside, and rainbow lights land on them, all the way in the back. 

"I come here for my mother." Silver murmurs out softly. It's quiet moments like this where he feels calm enough to share something so deeply personal. He knows he could only say it to Gold without immediately feeling regret later. 

"Oh." The O of his mouth sticks as Gold looks from the window, and back at Silver. "I lost my dad way back. Mom wanted to go to Ecruteak City at least once, but it was too far away and we didn't have enough money to go."

Silver nods, and they go back to sitting in a comfortable silence. The coloured light shining on Silver's face feels warm, and the presence of a friend makes his chest feel warmer. 

Gold breaks the silent. "Hey dude, you know I love you right?" Silver arches a brow at him. "I'm not drunk, hey. Listen, I got a lotta love in my heart. Remember when we first met?"

"You were a naive brat, and I was an angry hell-child." 

Gold barks out a laugh that attracts attention for a mere moment. Always so loud. "Yeah! Yeah. You've grown so much, you know that? You use to be so damn nasty and all. Lyra use to call me a saint for putting up with you. I mean, not that being with you is 'putting up' with anything. But. You know. You're just... You've grown up so much." 

Silver is struggling not to outwardly smile. "We all have, haven't we? You have. You're not full of snot like you use to be." Gold laughs again, and maybe instinctively rubs his nose. Silver looks away before he smirks. "I've still got my resting bitch face, if anything."

"What? Nah. That ain't it. Your resting face _use to_ look like you were always steppin' in crap. Now it just looks, I dunno. Calm and mature. Maybe even happy."

Silver looks at Gold with genuine surprise. He never thought himself to be a happy person. (If anyone were to know Silver like the back of his hand, it would be Gold...) 

"Hey, listen." Gold wraps his arm around his rival's shoulders and looks back up to the window. "I'm proud of you."

The words cement themselves in immediately and never leave. 

By noon, the two bid their farewells and Gold leaves for Johto. 

Silver makes tea with some teabags Green gifted him for Christmas, and drinks it with the cookies Red gave him the last time he was over. The rest of the afternoon is calm, quiet, peaceful. 

He lets his Sneasel and Gengar to play in the snow as the sun sets. 

As the first day of the year melts away, Silver feels, for sure, that he can feel the freshness of the new year fade over him. 

He inhales a long, deep breath for the feel of it rather than the necessity. It feels good. 

Silver smiles, eats the last of his cookies, and goes inside with his Pokemon to rest up for the next day of the rest of his new year.  


End file.
